Went out on the patio early Sunday (as in about 2 a.m.) to smoke a cigarette and got a glimpse of a big bushy white-n-black tail swishing around the corner of the house. Figured it was the skunk Mrs. Charm sniffed out the other day, or a member of the same family, anyhow. I left it alone. Never mess with skunks.
We also have big raccoons, opossums and armadillos now and again.
J.D., over at Mouth of the Brazos, however, gets the cold-blooded critters. For instance, what apparently was a “good-sized” Prairie Kingsnake advancing down his flagstone walk towards his flower bed and porch. Says he could tell by the shape of its head that it wasn’t harmful, but he stood up from his porch rocker and clapped his hands anyway which made the snake do a 180 and slither away.
All we ever see of the snake variety are pencil-thin, pale-green garden ones. Happily. If my only choice is skunks or snakes, I’ll take the skunks.
THE TEXAS SCRIBBLER 
Dunno. I passed once near a dead skunk, and am ready to take on any snake instead. The spouse, not having the sense of smell, might differ with this opinion, I guess.
Mrs. C.’s encounter was with the distinctive skunk smell. We figured a skunk had been in a confrontation with a raccoon or possum and let loose a blast. Normally you leave them alone they leave you alone. Snakes, though, have their own agenda.
I’d vote for snakes. They’re almost uniformly benign up here, as opposed to the environs of Texas, but I can’t convince the wife or daughter who are hysterically against the notion.
There’s a visceral hatred of snakes wired into our brains that we can overcome only with difficulty. Skunks look so fluffy and friendly, so as long as you keep your distance.